During her 13 years working in the real estate industry, Talia Stennett often saw how a well-staged home could make all the difference between a house selling or sitting on the market.
“Home staging has been proven over and over again to assist homes in selling faster as the presentation of the home is very important,” Stennett says.
“Buyers start the search for their new home online, and if the home is staged properly and presented right with professional photos, more buyers will typically view all the photos and make an effort to go see the home fast.”
This firsthand experience inspired Stennett and her husband, Kerry, to launch Spice Up Your Home, located at 4140 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, in June of 2018. The Chandler-based company offers all-inclusive home staging services for clients who are looking to make their home stand out in Arizona’s competitive real estate market.
As Stennett notes, Spice Up Your Home has two key components: staging, and a furniture store that carries brand-new, one-of-a-kind pieces.
For the home staging part of her work, Stennett says their approach is different than many other companies, in part because they own their own furniture.
“We only use new designer furniture; it is not rented from somewhere else and therefore it always looks new,” she says, adding that they always stage a home based on the current trends, which for 2020 include shades of blue, fuchsia, soft pink, purple and soft greens.
“We also put a good amount of furniture and accessories into the home to make it look full and cozy, as the goal is to get the buyer ‘wowed’ within the first eight seconds, which is when they make the decision if they like the home or not.”
Spice Up Your Home’s approach to staging is definitely working, Stennett notes. Around 92% of the homes her company stages sell within two days to three weeks, and most of the time they sell for the full price or over the asking price.
“We also ensure that the furniture style fits the home that we are staging. We know that some sellers have older homes that have not been renovated, so we like to add a modern twist while still making sure that the home flows and all looks perfect to the buyer’s eye.”
New and One-of-a-Kind Furniture is Available in the Showroom
For homeowners who want to buy some beautiful and unique furniture items for their home, Spice Up Your Home offers a carefully selected assortment of pieces.
“We attempt to provide more of a design factor to the furniture that we sell that is different from what you will find in the big box stores. We will also not carry the same item more than a handful of times; a lot of times, it is a one-of-a-kind limited edition.”
In addition to new and unique furniture, Spice Up Your Home’s showroom also features accessories like wall art and décor that shoppers will not find in other stores.
Stennett says she enjoys meeting new customers as they come in and experience this uniqueness in person.
“The store always changes with our new inventory, style and selection,” she says, adding that new pieces come in every week. “We invite everyone to come in and see our selection in person.”
For people who would like advice on how to decorate their home, Stennett says they also offer a home consultation design service that involves going to the customer’s home.
“We like to listen and understand what the client wants and envisions for their home and help them achieve that, and we then offer suggestions and design ideas to complement the current pieces in the home and their ideas,” she explains.
To honor all emergency personnel in the Valley, Stennett says they are proud to offer specials for local law enforcement, as well as veterans and those who currently serve in the military.
“My husband is retired from law enforcement after 26 years of service, and so we always run a special for them to thank everyone at 911 for their service,” she notes.
Stennett says she gets a lot of satisfaction from their staging work, as well as helping their valued customers find the perfect new pieces for their home.
“For the staging, it is the best feeling in the world to cozy up a place and get it ready for sale,” she says. “And I love to help people to love their homes by assisting them in changing one room or the entire home. It is great to be able to go into a home and see what they currently have and help them choose the right furniture, wall art and décor to create the place we all love—our home.”
For more information, visit SpiceUpYourHome.com or SUYHStaging.com.